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Slow Cooker Shrimp Boil

This Slow Cooker Shrimp Boil is a spectacular way to bring new life to weeknight meals and casual entertaining. Using a convenient boil-in-bag seasoning blend makes preparation effortless and takes the guesswork out of perfectly balanced flavor.

Ingredients to Make Slow Cooker Shrimp Boil Recipe

Shrimp boils are a rite of passage in the South and are often thrown as a casual way to entertain friends and family.  This one-dish wonder includes everything you love about a classic shrimp boil with the twist of being prepared in a slow cooker. It’s a one pot meal brimming with plump shrimp, tender red potatoes, sweet corn on the cob and smoked andouille sausage.

This shrimp boil is the epitome of simplicity, easy enough for a weeknight meal yet, perfectly suitable for entertaining a crowd. So spread out some newspapers, roll up your sleeves and enjoy piles of kicked-up Creole shrimp at home.

Checkout this quick list of key ingredients to make a Crockpot Shrimp Boil: (Scroll down for full recipe printable card.)

  • Shrimp – Large raw shrimp shell and tails intact, deveined.
  • Sausage – Smoked andouille sausage enhances the flavor of the cooking liquid.
  • Potatoes – Petite red bliss potatoes or any tiny potato works best.
  • Corn – Fresh corn shucked and cut into 2-inch pieces.
  • Onion and Garlic – Sweet onion or yellow onion and one small bulb of garlic, slice the top off.
  • Spice – One package Zatarain’s® Crawfish, Shrimp and Crab Boil in a Bag, salt, cayenne pepper and lemon pepper.
  • Liquid – 8 cups water.
  • Citrus – Fresh lemon juice adds acidic notes that enhances the shrimp.
  • Herbs – Fresh parsley for color and flavor.
  • Serve – Lemon wedges melted butter, crusty bread and Zatarain’s® Cajun Hot Sauce.
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How to Make the Best Slow Cooker Shrimp Boil Recipe

If you thrive on finding unexpected ways of preparing classics and dishes like this seafood boil crockpot recipe, you’ll be delighted with the easy prep and clean-up is a breeze when compared to a classic shrimp boil.  

  • Assemble in Slow Cooker – Place the potatoes, Zatarain’s® Crawfish, Shrimp and Crab Boil in a Bag, onion, garlic, salt, cayenne and lemon pepper into a 6 quart oval crock pot. Pour water into crock pot.
  • Cover and Cook – Place lid firmly on top. Cook on low per the recipe until the potatoes are fork tender.(Time varies depending on size of potatoes).
  • Garlic – Remove whole garlic bulb. Squeeze a few garlic cloves into the cooking liquid.
  • Mix-ins – Increase the slow cooker to high. Add to the slow cooker in this order corn, sausage, lemon juice and shrimp.
  • Continue to Cook – Replace lid and cook on high for an additional 35-40 minutes or until the shrimp is opaque and shells turn pink. Uncover and stir removing seasoning bag.
  • Drain, Garnish and Serve – Drain water, then sprinkle seafood boil with chopped parsley then serve immediately with lemon wedges, melted butter, crusty bread and hot sauce.

Kitchen Equipment to Make a Slow Cooker Shrimp Boil

  • 6 quart or larger slow cooker.
  • Chopping board and knife.
  • Measuring cups and spoons.
  • Slotted spoon or stainless steel spider to remove from the slow cooker for serving.
  • Baking sheet.

 

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Recipe Variations, Tips and Substitutions

  • Smoked Sausage Substitutions – You can use kielbasa or any smoked sausage that you like in place of andouille sausage.
  • Shrimp – Use raw shrimp only for this recipe as precooked shrimp will become tough. If using medium-size shrimp, add during the final 15 minutes of cooking.
  • Potatoes – If using baby red potatoes, use a lesser amount and extend the cooking time until they’re fork tender. They tend to be larger than petite potatoes.
  • Stock – You could replace water with seafood stock or chicken broth for added flavor.
  • Beer – You could replace some of the water or broth with beer.
  • Spices – You could also use cajun seasoning or old bay seasoning.
  • How to Serve Crock Pot Shrimp Boil – I like to serve this with lemon wedges, crusty bread and melted butter on the side for dipping the shrimp and vegetables.  Dump it all on a baking sheet and let everyone dig in!
  • Frozen Corn on the Cob – For a shortcut, you can use mini corn on the cob that are typically readily available in the freezer section of most grocery stores.
  • Transform into Shrimp Salad – Turn leftover slow cooker shrimp into homemade Shrimp Salad, removing the shell of course. Reheat the andouille sausage, red bliss potatoes and corn on the cob in the microwave for a round two meal.
  • Side Dishes to Serve with a Shrimp Boil – Shrimp boils are in essence a one dish meal. Serve artisan white bread or any crusty bread on the side for dipping in the sauce. You could add tarter sauce cocktail sauce as options for the shrimp.

Storage and Leftovers

  • Leftovers – Store leftover Crock Pot Shrimp Boil in an airtight container chilled in the fridge for up to 2 days.
  • Reheating – Reheat the shrimp gently in a saucepan separate from the remaining ingredients.
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More Southern Style Slow Cooker Recipes to Make

The terms, slow cooker and crockpot are used interchangeably. Both are well known for cooking inexpensive cuts of meats, side dishes and even desserts low and slow. More slow cooker recipes you may like to make:

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Disclosure – This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of  Zatarain’s®. The opinions and text are all mine. Thank you for being supportive and allowing me to share brands with you that I enjoy. 

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5 from 2 votes

Slow Cooker Shrimp Boil

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time6 hours
Total Time6 hours 10 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Southern
Keyword: easy-shrimp-boil-recipe, slow-cooker-shrimp-boil
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 494kcal
Author: Melissa Sperka

Ingredients

  • 2 lb petite red bliss potatoes
  • 1 3 oz package Zatarain's® Crawfish, Shrimp and Crab Boil in a Bag
  • 1 medium onion cut into 8 quarters
  • 1 small bulb garlic top cut off
  • 3 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper more or less to taste
  • 1/2 tsp lemon pepper
  • 8 cups water
  • 3 medium ears corn shucked cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 1 lb smoked andouille sausage 1/2 inch slices
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 lb large raw shell on shrimp deveined
  • 2 Tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
  • Serve with: lemon wedges melted butter, crusty bread and Zatarain’s® Cajun Hot Sauce

Instructions

  • Place the potatoes, Zatarain’s® Crawfish, Shrimp and Crab Boil in a Bag, onion, garlic, salt, cayenne and lemon pepper into a 6 quart oval slow cooker.Cover with water. Place lid firmly on top.
  • Cook on low for 4-6 hours or until the potatoes are fork tender.(Time varies depending on size of potatoes)
  • Remove whole garlic bulb. Squeeze a few garlic cloves into the cooking liquid.
  • Increase the slow cooker to high. Add to the slow cooker in this order corn, sausage, lemon juice and shrimp.
  • Replace lid and cook on high for an additional 35-40 minutes or until the shrimp is opaque and shells turn pink. Uncover and stir removing seasoning bag.
  • Drain water and sprinkle with chopped parsley then serve immediately with lemon wedges, melted butter, crusty bread and hot sauce, if desired. (You can dump the shrimp boil on a baking sheet for serving.)

Notes

    • Smoked Sausage Substitutions: You can use kielbasa or any smoked sausage that you like in place of andouille sausage.
    • Shrimp: Use raw shrimp only for this recipe as precooked shrimp will become tough. If using medium-size shrimp, add them during the final 15 minutes of cooking.
    • Potatoes: If using baby red potatoes, use a lesser amount and extend the cooking time cooking them until they’re fork tender. They tend to be larger than petite potatoes.
    • Stock: You could replace water with seafood stock or chicken broth for added flavor. 
    • Beer: You could replace some of the water with beer.
    • Spices: You could also use cajun seasoning or old bay seasoning.
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Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 494kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 206mg | Sodium: 2533mg | Potassium: 1213mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 518IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 107mg | Iron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @melissassk or tag #melissassk!

6 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    My family and I love your recipe! We make it often. I want to double the recipe, but I only have an 8qt slow cooker so I’m not sure everything will fit. Do you know what the cooking time would be to make this recipe in a large stockpot on the stove? Thank you!

5 from 2 votes

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